A liquid crystal panel used for a liquid crystal display device such as a liquid crystal television, for example, does not emit light, and thus a backlight unit is required as a separate lighting device. This backlight unit is provided on a rear-surface side (on a side opposite to a display surface) of the liquid crystal panel. The backlight unit includes a chassis, a light source (such as a cold cathode tube), an optical member (such as a diffuser sheet) and a reflection sheet. The chassis is open on a surface facing the liquid crystal panel side. The light source is housed in the chassis. The optical member is arranged in the opening of the chassis and outputs light from the light source effectively toward the liquid crystal panel side. The refection sheet is laid in the chassis and configured to reflect light from the light source toward the optical member and the liquid crystal panel. A backlight unit of this kind is described in Patent Document 1, for example.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-146126